Category: Patient Safety

Ranking Seven COVID-19 Antigen Tests by Ease of Use: Report

Some COVID-19 rapid antigen home test kits are much easier to use than others, according to an analysis by ECRI, an independent, nonprofit patient safety organization. ECRI evaluated seven rapid COVID-19 antigen tests available for purchase online and in retail stores since December. None of the tests were rated as “excellent” in terms of usability and some […]

Counterfeit Respirators / Misrepresentation of NIOSH-Approval

Counterfeit respirators are products that are falsely marketed and sold as being NIOSH-approved and may not be capable of providing appropriate respiratory protection to workers. When NIOSH becomes aware of counterfeit respirators or those misrepresenting NIOSH approval on the market, we will post them here to alert users, purchasers, and manufacturers. To read more go to:https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/usernotices/counterfeitResp.html

Report highlights need for maternal group B Strep vaccine

A new report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is calling for more urgency on efforts to develop a maternal vaccine against group B Streptococcus (GBS) to prevent newborn deaths, neurodevelopmental problems, and maternal complications. Although the GBS bacterium is common in the human microbiome and is […]

Most Children and All Teens Can Get COVID-19 Vaccines

CDC recommends everyone ages 5 and older get a COVID-19 vaccine to help protect against COVID-19. Widespread vaccination for COVID-19 is a critical tool to best protect everyone, especially those at highest risk, from severe illness and death. People who are fully vaccinated can safely resume many activities that they did prior to the pandemic. Children […]

Postcards From the Edge: Lessons Taught by COVID-19

One thing that will haunt me and many health care personnel in both acute care and LTCFs forever is that so many people died without a family member at their bedside. I reached out to people in different disciplines, settings, and states. I wanted to know what lessons we’ve learned from the carnage caused by […]

This Way to the OR, Infection Preventionists

Many infection preventionists trust that everyone working in the operating room knows what they are doing and many times shy away from going into the OR. That’s a mistake. In fall 2016, I was on my way to work at 8 AM on a Monday when my cell phone rang. It was the surgical department […]